Loving the Different, Pt 4

“You only have 10 years left to imprint this boy with the character he needs to survive the future.”

“In two years your daughter will be taking her cues from her boyfriend. Prepare her now to be wise!”

The focus isn’t on how little time is left, but on what to do with the time you have.

Patience

It’s a tough commodity when it comes to parenting.

Patience is about slowing down. Not being in such a hurry. Not missing the important stuff. It allows you to see the bigger picture, the larger landscape of where a child is headed. It takes patience to be fully present when your kids are at risk for pain and dissapointment.

The unwise parent believes their child can be insulated from the bullying, cruelty, and meanness. The naive parent believes their child can be protected from sin’s temptations.

A wise parent does what they can to protect their children. But they also recognize that the trials are coming, and effective parenting prepares a child for the coming trials.

From, “Spiritual Parenting” by Michelle Anthony:

“What my children needed were the skills and faith muscles to be able to walk through the trial and be strengthened, not victimized, by it.

This is an essential life lesson for them, and it’s necessary for me, because protecting my children from the evils of this world would be a full-time job.

We live in an evil world. Bad things will happen to our children. People will hurt them intentionally and unintentionally. Life will not be fair.”

Patient Parents-Christian Children

Parents get frustrated because their children don’t manifest the right attitudes or behaviors soon enough. Patience is essential, because parenting is from the nursery and to the cap & gown.

Godly character is a lifelong process, so be patient. Don’t expect your kids to be perfect, or to be above making mistakes. “Foolishness is caught up in the heart of a child.”

It’s so hard to let go of parental peer-pressure. We get tied in knots believing that other parents judge our parenting. It shouldn’t be about ego or how our kids can make us look good. Be patient, don’t make them responsible for how great you are.

To Close

Patience is a byproduct of faith, and our faith is often weak when it comes to trusting God with our kids. We fear what will happen. Our instincts drive us to keep them safe. So turning them over to God seems counterintuitive.

We must surrender our need to keep them isolated. Giving them to God means instilling our children with a faith that can grow, with a God dependency.

Our children weren’t meant to be propped up on a shelf like porcelain dolls. They aren’t trophies to be show cased for our honor. It all points to him, or it should.